Underwater anchoring



Nov. 10, 1931. K. SCHROEDER UNDERWATER ANCHORING Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVVENTOR K/r/ Schroeder.

A TTORNE Y Nov. 10, 1931.- K. SCHROEDER UNDERWATER ANCHORING Filed May 29. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 b ll Nov. 10, 1931. K. SCHROEDER UNDERWATER ANCHORING Filed May 29, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet, 3

M R y 0 E 70 N r R Wm m N r A W Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES":

KURT S CH IR-OEDER, OF I)ORTMUND, GERMANY UNDERWATER ANCHORING- Application fiIed'May 29.1930, Serial No.

In the construction of shore walls of sheet piling, anchoring is usually necessary, and, for statical reasons, must be .disposed below the water line: Anchorings of this kind have hitherto been established by attaching the requisite constructional parts by means of a diver, a method giving rise to considerable difficulty and expense.

The present invention simplifies such attachment by inserting the anchorings, from above, in guides,.thus dispensing with any operations under water. That is to say the elements forming the sheet piling are so constructed that when driven into position and interlocked to form a continuous structure with its medial lines lying approximately in one and the same vertical plane, said structure will present upon one or both faces thereof a series of parallel, vertically extending channels, the innersurfaces of which form, or are provided with, undercut grooves or lugs with which properly shaped key-members may engage, and then anchoring a plurality of such key-members to one face of a horizontally extending beam forming a tie-member, inserting the projecting key-members in the upper ends of the undercut grooves or channels in the assembled sheet piling and driving said tie-member down to the desired depth along said grooves. In this way the sheet piling assembly is straightened out to form a perfect plane surface the elements of which are rigidly bound together and maintained in such position without requiring the services of divers or any under-water operations whatever.

The accompanying drawings illustrate typical embodiments of the invention.

Figs. 1-5 representing various forms of sheet piling, with suitable anchorings. In all the figures a dot and dash line indicates the meillian plane (so-called neutral axis) of the We In the embodiment according to Fig. 1, the trough shaped sheet piling members a are provided'with lateral walls a disposed at an acute angle in relation to the bed a of the trough, or convergent, so that only a fairly narrow gap is left at the corners b of the finished wall. In the resulting space, of trian- 457,271, and in Germany May 29, 1929.

- gular cross section, is inserted theanchor c on to which is screwed the nut c which presses against the piling a member d, corresponding in shape to thegap between the'two flanges a", a of the adjacent pile member a. The anchor c is attached, in known manner, to the reinforcement e which distributes the anchor stresses. r a

Fig. 2 shows .asubstantially similar anchoring arrangement for a sheet-piling wall composed of Z-se'ctions. In this case also, the shape of the section a is designed seats to leave a narrow gap of triangular section between the acuteedges of the adjacent pile members, into which space the anchor 0 can be inserted. In this case the webs a of the sections a form an abutment for the shaped member d which, inthis instance, is screwed directly on to the anchor.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 3,

the sheet piling is constructed of trough sections, as in Fig.1, but in this case the flanges a are not convergent but are provided with lateral lugs f and 9. Behind these lugs an intermediate member It can be inserted from above, said member engaging, by meansof two lateral lugs it behind the lugs gprojecting towards the inner side of the central pile member a in Fig. 3and engaging by means of two further-lugs it, behind the lugs f. provided on the outerside of the flanges of the adjacent pile member a. The

anchor 0 acts upon said intermediate member h by means of a nut (Z which is substantially similar to that employed in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment according to .Fig. 4 the sheet piling wall is again composed of Z-sections, as in Fig. 2, which are provided, on the web ends opposite the flanges with lugs 6 behind which the two wing ends of an angular bridge member cl can be inserted, the central portion d of sand member, designed as a nut for the anchor 0, supporting at .the

same time the lock 72 (opposite the anchor) between the two adjacent Z-sections secured by the anchor. I

,The embodiment of the wall according to Fig. 5 is again composedof trough sections, as in Fig.- 3. In this embodiment the lock members at connecting the pile members are designed as lugs a, disposed approximately parallel with the median plans of the wall and projecting towards the interior of the several trough sections. lugs of a section a rests a bridge member D, on which two anchors 0 act by means of nuts 0. In this-embodiment an anchoringis indicated on both sides of the wall.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown, modifications being possible within the scope'of theappendedclaims For example, the lugs providedon the .pile members to support the anchoring can be otherwise-. formed or.. attached by methods which will be obvious to those skilled in the art,-1andvarious other changes in details ofxconstruction can be: made wlthoutde- .partingfrom the basic novelty of the invention, solong as the general relativearrange- :ment of the parts hereln shown and de scribechand their mutual cooperation, are

retained within the limits defined in the appended claims.

Itzis to be understood, of course, that in allthe modifications shown the piling elements a,sa,-are first set, or.- driven down into the earth, in interlocked position with their mediallines located as nearly asv possible in --=one and the same plane indicated by the broken line in each figure of the drawing, and that" thereafter the key-members (Z, d", cl or D sare'respectively anchored to the beam 6, or .other horizontally extending tie-member, in-

serted in the upper ends of the undercut cgrooves formed in, or by, the channels in oneface of the piling assembly, and finally forced down along said grooves any desired distance-by drivingthe tie-member 6 downwardly.

Two ormore of sald tylng assembles so formed may be driven down one after another and left in properly spaced apart posi tions to give the contemplated piling structure any desired degree of rigidity. Also ,zthe .key members could be connected to any a other suitable anchorage in place of the beam 6. In either case the main advantage of the invention would be retained, as the assembled -piling can be connected-with the anchorage of whatever description after the sections of :piling have been driven into theearth in assembled relation, and this without requiring the services of a diver for adjusting the connection of said piling to said anchorage.

I claim: 1. A plurality of interlocking sections of sheet piling presenting, whenassembled side by side, a plurality of channels, extending parallel to the medial plane of the piling assembly, said channels containing undercut Behind each two 1 in which a cross section of said assembled piling has a generally zigzag outline of substantially uniform thickness, said walls themselves forming said undercut surfaces with which said key-members may directly engage. 4. Acombination such as defined in claim 1 in whichsaid undercut surfaces are formed by lugs located on the inner faces of each section ofsheet piling.

5. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which certain ofsaid sections of; sheet pilhave outwardly.a flaring side EWELHSE provided on their inner surfaces with projecting lugs with which said key-members mayv interlock.

7 6. A plurality of interlocking sections of sheet, piling presenting, when assembled side by side, a plurality of channels extending vertically parallel one to another-and to the medial .planexof the piling. assembly,;:said 

